Private firms now treat one in five NHS patents according to a report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

The rise in the treatment of NHS patents through private firms increased after GPs began to offer patients a wider list of locations to receive treatment.

The employment of the private sector to provide patient care rose under the labour government as a way to reduce waiting times and increase patient capacity.

David Worskett, director of the NHS Partners Network said: "While the overall proportion of NHS care delivered by the independent sector remains very low, at less than 5%, independent providers are very pleased to be making what is clearly a valued contribution to the NHS and patients in these challenging times.”

Concern has increased within elements of the NHS regarding the effect of privatisation with a spokesman from the British Medical Association (BMA) saying: “The BMA has had concerns for a number of years about the ethos of promoting competition between different providers within the NHS as this could lead to a fragmentation and possible destabilisation of patient services".